A cobpobation



March 29. 1932.

'F: K. EASTMAN DOORCHEC K Original Filed July 2, 19 26 INVENTOR FLOYD K. EASTMAN ATTORNEY Realm! Mar. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES I'LOY D K. EASTMAN, OF KOKOIO, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO PATENT OFFICE OONOEALED DOOR CHECK ('20., OF KOKOMO, INDIANA, A CORPORATION nooncnncx Original filed m 22, 1930.

This invention pertains to door limiting devices and particularly to door limltmg or checking devices adapted for use in connection with automobile bodies or similar vehicles.

Heretofore varying types of checks have been used originating with the ordinary exosed loo strap which would loop outwardy from t e door when in closed position and be secured at both ends to the surface of the door, and body. Concealed checks have been employed wherein a cable or metallic member has been slidably secured within the frame work of the body and door so as to be entirely concealed when in closed position, as well as groove and slot checks mounted on the top of the door, such types requiring shock absorbin members and being relatively expensiveo manufacture and installation.

One of the objects of the invention sto provide a normally concealed door limitlng device which is simple in construction and in- ,fexpensive to manufacture and which will have sufiicient resiliency and give to absorb the shock without-provision of an additional shock absorbing member, and which will assume its properposition in the frame work of the door or bod so as to avoid interference with the win ow actuating mechanism and takeu'p a minimum of space. Other features of the invention reside in the details of construction of the checking member or strap and its anchoring and movement limitingmeans, and part cularly the angularly or spirally wound or taped plies of rubber or rubberized fabric employed in the building up of the checking member for increasing thei'strength thereof and permitting the same to be anchored at one end to the vehicle body in such a manner as to prevent its being torn or ripped from the anchoring member as has been-found possible in straps constructed in the ordinary anner, reference being made-to an earlier a plication filed April 23, 1926, Serial No. 104,081.

A further feature of the invention resides in the rov-ision of a suitable means associated v with t e check member for limiting its movement and causing it toyieldingly limit the opening of, the door, the particular feature of No. 1,878,490, dated July 24 1928, Serial No. 120,008, filed July 2, 1906. Application for reissue Serial No. 489,001. a a

said means being to guard a ainst the checking member interfering Wit the o erating mechanism of the door or body, suc as the window controls, by preventing it from curving inwardly when the door is moved to closed 3 position, the checking member. being normal ly arranged in a straight line. The full nature of the invention will be understood from the drawings and the following description and claims.

Figure '1 illustrates the door check strap g I as applied to a door in closed position; Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof; Figure 3 is the same as Figure 1 showing the door structure in open position;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the strap with I I a portion thereof cut away and one layer raised to show the" angular or spiral wind- Figure 5 is an enlar ed view through a lon 'tudinal section of t e check strap;

igure 6 isa section through the door check showing the modified arrangement of parts; Figure 7 is .an isometric view showing the assembly of certain parts of the modified form of my invention.

In the drawings there is shown a of a body frame and a pillar 11 o pillar 10 a door frame connected by the hinge 12. Rigidly secured to the door pillar 11 by the screws 13 is a protective plate 14 which is ofl'set'to embrace the corner of the pillar 11 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, said plate being provided with an elongated slot or opening'15 through which the door check straplfi is adapted to extend. The pillars are rovided with recesses 17 of the width an thickness of said checking member whereby the latter may slidably extend between the adjacent plate 14 andthe pillar 11 and may be secured flush with the pillar 10.

One end of the checking member 16 is securely anchored to the pillar 10' by the anchor plate 18 through the medium of the screws 19, said anchor plate being provided with a plurality of teeth 20 adapted to extend into and grip the strap as will be hereinafter described. The relatively large ofl'set portion of the plate 14 actsas a protection to the strap and the window mechanism of the door,

for preventing the two from becoming accident y engaged. The shouldered portion of the guard plate 14 through which the checking member extends preferably forms'a stop which may be engaged by the cross head 21 of the checking member to limit the opening movement thereof with respect to the door upon the door being swung to its extreme o n position as illustrated in Figure 3, alt ough it is to be understood that the cross head may be arranged to engage any portion of the door to limit the movement of the latter.

The checking member is preferably formed as best shown in Figure 5, from suitable ma- I terial such, for example, as rubberized fabric core having a centrally positioned resilient reinforcing strip 22 which may be of metal or other suitable material embedded therein and extending substantially throughout the full length of the strap.

A plurality of longitudinally extending strips 23 of any suitable substance, as, for example, rubberized fabric material are positioned adjacent each side of the surfaces of the metal strip 22, said strips overlapping the end of the metal strip at one end and being looped at a point beyond the metal strip at the other end. Within the looped portion of said strips there are a plurality of relatively short reinforcing looped strips 24, which, together with the looped ends of the strips 23 surround the metal cross head 21 fitting into a recessed portion 25 formed in one edge thereof. However, if desired, the reinforcing looped strips 24: may extend throughout the length of the strap for further increasing its strength and thickness.

Wound diagonally about the strips 23 is a rubberized fabric strip 26 as shown in Figure 4. The cords of the fabric in this strip extend at an angle to both the horizontal and vertical planes through the cords of the strips 23. The covering 27 of vulcanizing rubber or other suitable material is laid over both sides of the checking member as formed and the complete structure is then vulcanized into a compact door check construction as illustratedin Figures 1, 2 and 3. However, in the vulcanizing process, there is substantially no adhesion between the rubber strips 23 and the metal strip 22 whereby the rubberized cord and the imbedded metal strip will have relatively free action therebetween. This per- -mits the door check member to be capable of stretching or absorbing the shock in the checking action 'on' the door, while at the sametime, through the spring or flexible action of the metal strip, the door check will normally be held straight and returned to its normal position when the door is closed. The metal strip serves to prevent buckling of the checking member and also undue flexing thereof such as would be detrimental to the fabric and impair the life of the door check.

It will be noted that the importance of the diagonally disposed winding of the fabric strip 26 lies in its strengthening action and particularly with respect to the securing of the strap through the medium of the anchor plate 18. The anchoring of the strap depends largely upon the projection therein of the teeth 20, which are formed to penetrate the rubberized cover strip 27 and extend into the next adjacent rubberized fabric strip. If the cords of the adjacent strip extended longitudinally of the check strap, the action of the penetrating teeth of the anchoring member would be such as to readily tear through the rubber with very little resistance from the longitudinally extending cords. In a construction of this character should the door be violently jerked open, the anchored end of the check strap may tear free of the anchoring member. This difliculty with the method of anchoring the structure is partially eliminated by wrapping the inner strips in such a manner that the cords extend crosswise thereof whereby the teeth would pull directly against-said cords. This was found to be an improvement .but under extreme conditions it would be possible to jerk the check member loose from the anchor since only comparatively few cords would be engaged by the teeth of the anchor plate. However, as shown herein by extending the wrap ing strip 26 diagonally, each tooth of the anc oring member engages andpulls substantially directly against a different cord of the fabric, and it has been found that by means of this arrangement it is practically impossible to pull or jerk the check strap loose from the anchor.

In the structure hereinbefore described, by

extending the wrapping strip 26 diagonally each tooth of the anchor member 18 engages and pulls substantially directly against a different cord of the fabric, and with this-an. rangement it has been found that it is practically impossible to disarrange the check member with respect to the anchoring means. It will therefore be noted that by' means. of the formation of the cord of the strap and particularly the diagonal wrapping thereof, a very strong and substantial check member is produced which may be firmly anchored in position and held securely against any jerk or pull due to the opening of the door.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the stop member or cross head 121 is formed by folding the metal substantially U-shaped and having it spaced slightly apart at the center for receiving the end of the metal strip 122. This arrangement-overcomes any possibility of the end of the metal strip eventually cutting through the fabric as may be possible where'- in it merely abuts the inner edge of the cross head as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusively. It will be noted in this connection that the end of the metal strip extends only;

partially into the cross head so as not to intertion with the-fabric.

It is apparent that, within the scope of the invention modifications and different arrangements may be made other than is herein disclosed, and the present disclosure is illustrative merely, the invention comprehending all variations thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A check strap of the character described, comprising a rubberized fabric body portion, a metal strip mounted therein, and a cross head pin secured at one end thereto and adapted to embrace one. end of said metal strip while permitting said strip to have longitudinal movement with respect thereto.

2. A check strap of the character described,

comprising a flexible body portion, a metal- 7 lie cross head pin secured at one end thereof and provided with a recess and a metal strip mounted within said body portion and hav ing one end loosely extending within the recess of said cross head.

3. A check strap of the character described comprising a flexible body portion, a metallic cross head secured at one end thereof and formed by doubling the metal on itself to provide a recess opening from the inner edge thereof, and a metal strip having one end extending loosely within said recess so as to be capable of longitudinal movement with respect to said cross head.

4. A check stra of the character described comprising a rub erized, fabric body portion looped at one end, a metal strip mounted therein, and a cross head pin positioned in the looped end of said fabricbod portion so as to protrude from either side t ereof.

5. A check strap of the character described comprising a rubberized fabric body portion looped at one end thereof, a flexible metal strip mounted therein and extending substantially from one end of said strip to the other,

and a cross head pin associated with said strip and positioned in the looped end of said body ortion so that the ends thereof protrude beyond the edges of said strap.

6. A check for limiting the opening movement of a door comprising a fabric strap, an enlarged head secured to one end thereof, and a guard plate extending freely rearwardly into the interior of the door structure and associated with said strap for normally maintaining it in a substantially straight line cooperating with one end of said member and element.

8. A check of the character disclosed comprising, in combination, a rubberized fabric y portion; a flexible metallic element imbeddcd in said body portion; and a stop member associated with one end of said body portion.

9. A check of the character disclosed comprising a rubberized fabric body portion; a flexible metallic reinforcing element imbedded in said bodyportion; and a cross head postioned in one end of said body portion so as to protrude from either side thereof.

10. A check strap of the character disclosed, in combination, comprising a flexible element; a rubber covering surrounding said strap and having a loop in one end thereof; and a transversely extending stop member associated with the looped end of said rubber covering.

11. A check strap of the character disclosed comprising, in combination, a normally straight flexible element; a rubber covering surrounding said element and having a loop in one end thereof; and a transversely extending stop member carried in the looped end of sa1d rubber covering.

12. A check strap of the character disclosed comprising a normally straight flexible metallic strip; a transversely positioned stop member associated with one end of said metallic strip and a rubberized fabric body por tion surrounding said strip and the intermediate portion of said stop member.

13. A check strap of the character disclosed comprising a fabric body portion; a reinforcing strip mounted therein; and a transversely extending stop member adjacent one end thereof; said stop member being formed of a flat strip of material folded upon itself and adapted to embrace one end of said reinforcing strip while permitting said strip to have longitudinal movement with respect thereto.

14: A check strap of the character described comprisin a stop member, and a plurality of rubberize strips of fabric looped around said stop member intermediate its ends to support said stop member in position, said fabric strips bein vulcanized together.

In testimony w ereof, I aiflx my signature.

FLOYD EASTMAN.

while freely permitting the sliding movement thereof.

7. A check member of the character disclosed comprising a fabric body portion; a reinforcing element embedded therein and co-extensive therewith; and a stop member isa 

